‘I’ve lived through ten iOS upgrades on my Mac – and that’s just something I use to muck about on Twitter. Surely capitalism is due an upgrade or two?’

When Caitlin Moran sat down to choose her favourite pieces for her new book she realised that they all seemed to join up. Turns out, it’s the same old problems and the same old ass-hats.

Then she thought of the word ‘Moranifesto’, and she knew what she had to do…

This is Caitlin’s engaging and amusing rallying call for our times. Combining the best of her recent columns with lots of new writing unique to this book, Caitlin deals with topics as pressing and diverse as 1980s swearing, benefits, boarding schools, and why the internet is like a drunken toddler.

And whilst never afraid to address the big issues of the day – such as Benedict Cumberbatch and duffel coats – Caitlin also makes a passionate effort to understand our 21st century society and presents us with her ‘Moranifesto’ for making the world a better place.

The polite revolution starts here! Please.

Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ (3 stars)
Review:

MORANIFESTO is the latest book to come from Caitlin Moran. It is a collection of essays and musings on a variety of topics from the wearing of tights to reviews of TV shows to periods to austerity to interviews to obituaries to advice and finally a posthumous letter to her daughter. The subject matter of the book covers several years, and the variety of topics reflects this large period of time. The length of Moran’s musings on these topics varies, but all are started with a preface showing how they link into the overall section of the book and the overall idea of the book being Moran’s manifesto – or Moranifesto if you prefer.

The MORANIFESTO marks the first time I have delved into a book by Caitlin Moran. Although, this was not the first time I have come across Moran – that was several years ago when her book HOW TO BE A WOMAN was the next big thing on book blogs. When I came across MORANIFESTO I was intrigued by the idea put forth in the blurb, that Moran was going to be musing on contemporary topics and would be putting together a manifesto of sorts. I was also a little nervous to pick the book up, as none of Moran’s previous books had spoken to me.

MORANIFESTO is without a doubt an eclectic mixture of essays and musings; Moran covers a huge variety of topics, some less serious than others. My immediate thought when reading this book was that it felt very dated. A lot of the subject matter of this book falls between 2012 and 2015, which in 2017 is two to five years ago – and a lot has happened in that time period. Looking back at the London Olympics and the Diamond Jubilee seem to me a lifetime ago – a time of celebration, rather than the fear and worry of the 2017 climate.

Having said I found a lot of the subject matter dated in MORANIFESTO, I do have to admit that despite this a lot of it was interesting. Seeing these events from Moran’s very different point of view to my own. I was intrigued by where we differed and where we agreed. Reading MORANIFESTO was an interesting journey. I quite enjoyed Moran’s humorous, often self-deprecating, voice. I could relate to certain sections of her narrative, whilst others were completely alien. For me, Moran’s humour was pretty hit and miss – to be truthful, more miss than hit, and it often left me cold.

Moran splits her MORANIFESTO into four main parts; the first three sections serve to paint the picture for the fourth section, Moran’s actual manifesto. I have to admit that I found this section both a little repetitive and dry. To me, it didn’t really feel like it added anything to the rest of the book. I think my favourite section of the book was actually the final pages, where Moran has included a draft of what she refers to as a posthumous letter to her daughter. In a lot of ways, it typifies what went on in the book prior to it. It captures Moran’s zest for life, humour, worries and hopes for the future.

I might not have fallen in love with MORANIFESTO. In fact, I might have found that Moran’s book instead operates in that weird space between liking and loathing something. I do, however, think that MORANIFESTO is well worth a read, particularly if you come from a different background to Moran. MORANIFESTO is, in my opinion, a book that whether you love or hate what it is saying; you’ll find it hard to feel indifferent to. And hopefully, it will make you think which I think is the whole point.